I do NOT like cornish x's.....

[hoppy]

I also don't like them, mine get really aggressive about 6 weeks old, just crazy. but I will still raise them because I want to know where my food is coming from.(and keep telling myself, only 2 more weeks, only 2 more weeks)

 

[alabamachick]

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I agree with the above, I actually love me CornishXs. They are the most friendly bird I have. They are messy, and ginormous compared to all the others, but I actually am very fond of them now!

 

[Nhbluebird]

My first time with Cornish x and I am not pleased with their aggressive attitude. Every time I fill the feed/waterers they bite my hands and fingers and fly towards my face. Lost 3 of them the first week as well. Just keeled over and died. They are only 3 wks old today. I definately will have an insulated brooder box for outside next trip. Mother has a lot of patience with me having two cages with 28 birds in them in our livingroom. Change layer cage 2x daily Cornish x 3-4x daily.
I ordered 20 of them and 12 new layers and have kept them separated since arrival. I'm glad that I did. Next meaties I think will be the Freedom Rangers.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

M@M@2four :

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Agreed! I never let their food bowl go empty. They are bred to grow fast in a VERY short amount of time, so need food 24/7. They eat, drink, sleep, and grow around the clock!

Ours were raised in pasture tractors. Feed was with-held over night to encourage eating of forage in the morning.It was more like 14 with 10 without. When fed, they got all they could eat of high-protein feed. Won the broiler trophy at our small county fair.

The behavior lakeontariochicks is describing is NOT what we've experienced. We had to shelter the meaties from the heritage breeds at young ages. Later, they were all together and the Corn X were intimidating when they got moving (so big, lumbering and enthusiastic about getting to the food!) but no biting, and the Heritage birds scrambled to get out of the way lest they be trampled. But the heritage birds had feed all the time, so they were not as panicked about feeding time.

lakeontariochicks obviously has a particularly aggressive strain of Corn X. Where did you get them? I would like to avoid them!​

 

[peterlund]

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I agree. I raised my 6 Meaties alongside my 21 hens... No issues at all. They were the first to make a rather slow run to the feeder in the morning, but otherwise they were friendly, social and NEVER bit or pecked at me or anyone else that came near. Maybe it is the "show no fear" attitude that you need in a pen full of hungry anything! Hell yes they are messy, but the calories in must somehow equal the ones coming out...

 

[aclee]

Ours were a little pushy before we were free ranging them, now I open the coop door, about 90% of the birds run out and head around to peck at the dirt, the cracked corn I drop on the ground, or to eat the little maple trees that grow everywhere. I will usually fill the feeder and put it outside and some of them will go over and eat, but not all of them. Then I fill the water and usually some rotate out from the feeder to get water...I have 12 Cornish roasters, and 26 Cornish X and I am only using one 12 pound galvanized feeder right now, and for the most part, they all eat out of it pretty easily. I am enjoying their personalities as we've allowed them to grow one more and I've spent more time with them. They are trying to fly and they fly about as effectively as any basketball shaped item would. They get about 2 feet off the ground, but they love running down the little hill in the back yard and "catching air"...pretty funny. They had almost zero personality when all I did was take the time to toss their food in, but now that they get out and run and play (they even peck at tennis balls) they are much calmer and more curious and friendly. I sort of think when you make their life only about food, then that is all they will care about, and all that matters, so maybe that is why some get aggressive about it?

In fact the morning after I filled the feeder, my 2 year old sat at one of the feeder "spots" around the round feeder so he could be close to some of the birds and he would pat them and tell them "nice" and ever checked out their feet and little nails and they were all fine with him, he didn't get pecked even once.

 

[AHappychick]

maybe feed them more? if they always have food maybe they wont be as aggressive to get it. Meaties have to eat constantly.

 

[ChikeeMomma]

I have 11 cornish xs in with 7 pullets and 2 bantams. They are all 5.5-4.5 weeks old. I haven't had any problems. The cornish xs are the friendliest of the bunch. I've enjoyed them so far. I do let mine out into a 12x20 run during the day (still have access to the coop). Their food and water is moved out there for the duration of the day. I sprinkle some feed in the grass so that they have to work for their food. I haven't had them be aggressive yet. They do love to hoard around me though when they see more food and water coming. They're piggies!

 

[Buster52]

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Might want to look at Freedom Rangers, unless you want something more sustainable.

 

[lakeontariochicks]

Thanks everyone for all the great replies!
There are a lot of good tips coming from you all!
I took the older 5 meaties out of the big brooder and put them in a smaller box(plenty big enough for them) temporarily. The 6 smaller meaties will stay with the hens until I can come up with a bigger box and figure out where to put it.
I had asked on the raising baby chicks forum if I could put them out in a covered patio in a tall box made of plywood, well insulated on the bottom with a heat lamp, but have not had any responses yet. I take it that at 3 1/2 weeks they are too young to go out? Temps can still be under 50 at night.
I always tried to make sure they had food, but with so many of them it was definitely hard, I don't know maybe they just felt that seeing an almost empty feeder was too much for them to handle, lol!
I do feel bad for them, what kind of a life can it be when you have to pig out your whole life and then it is so short?
I would love to get them outside during the day some, are low 60's good temps at their age?
They were awfully quiet after I moved them..... but no complaining either! Maybe it was them that didn't like my hens!
Thanks again!